Split Ends
by love.ly.ish
Summary: When Chloe and Sabrina's secret relationship is revealed to the world, everything changes for Marinette, who quickly becomes her ex-enemy's only hope. Having been kicked out of her home, the mayor's daughter comes to live with Marinette. Chloe's presence quickly causes an uproar in every aspect of the teen hero's life. Who knew one broken-hearted girl could chance everything?
1. Prologue

When Chloe showed up at her door sobbing, Marinette wasn't quite sure what she was supposed to do. In a way, though, she did invite it, but she hardly thought she'd have to follow through on that promise. But there Chloe stood, sobbing in the doorway of the bakery while customers passed and stared at the disgruntled mayor's daughter in disgust.

It all started a week earlier. An akuma was attacking and Marinette, in a panic, excused herself to the bathroom. The teacher reluctantly agreed, but insisted that she hurry back in case the akuma made its way into the school. Usually, the bathroom was a good enough place to transform, especially in the middle of class when it was empty. But, in hindsight, Marinette should've remembered seeing Chloe and Sabrina excuse themselves to the bathroom just minutes prior. However, that detail must have slipped her mind in the chaos of trying to get out of class fast enough to catch the akuma, because when she finally made it to the bathroom, she was met with a surprise.

Chloe was pushed up against the wall by a redhead who Marinette realized with a start was Sabrina. Chloe's long, manicured fingers laced through Sabrina's short bob, holding her face close. Sabrina had her hands on either side of Chloe's head, keeping her pinned to the tiled bathroom wall. Before Marinette could even react, the akuma shook the entire building, causing her to stumble against the nearby tiled wall.

Sabrina and Chloe broke apart, each one breathing heavily for a moment. The blonde's eyes found Marinette's immediately, going wide in shock before filling up with tears.

"M- Marinette! What are you doing here?" Chloe's voice shook while she tried desperately to wipe away the tears from her eyes.

"Um...the...I hade to...you know...it's the bathroom," Marinette cringed at her attempt to find an excuse. Her eyes traveled to Sabrina, who stood perfectly still, looking between Marinette and Chloe in horror.

Suddenly snapping out of her disbelief, Chloe stormed up to Marinette, opening her mouth to say something before the building rumbled once again.

"Chloe, come on, we've gotta get out of here!" Sabrina took Chloe by the hand, pulling her out of the bathroom before she could say anything.

And just like that, Marinette was aware of a secret - and a big one, at that. That day, after the akuma attack, neither of them dared look Marinette in the eye. In a way, it was nice. She was given a break from Chloe's constant cloud of drama, but at what cost? All Marinette could think about were the two girls (who Marinette had always assumed were simply best friends) with their lips on one another's.

By the time class was dismissed, Marinette had already had enough, and it's only been 5 hours. She nearly had to sprint to catch Sabrina and Chloe before they could get away.

"Leave us alone, Marinette!" Chloe hissed, turning quickly when Marinette reached out to grab her arm.

"Chloe - "

"I said leave us alone! I can't-" the blonde suddenly realized how loudly she was speaking, her voice immediately falling to just a whisper. "If anyone found out...my dad is...I just can't, ok?"

Sabrina stood behind Chloe, inching closer and discretely wrapping her arm around Chloe's arm. Chloe leaned back into Sabrina for comfort - so subtly, Marinette would've missed it if she hadn't been watching for it.

"You're secret's safe with me," Marinette looked between the two, a sense of dread settling uncomfortably over her stomach. If Chloe was implying what she thought she was, then that meant that she was lying to her dad. And if anyone knew how difficult it was to keep a secret, it was Marinette.

Sabrina let out a breath of air she'd been holding and Chloe physically relaxed. "Thank you," the sincerity in the blonde's voice surprised Marinette.

"Of course. If anything ever does happen with your dad...I'm here for you, ok? I know how hard secrets are. Just talk to me if you need to," Marinette laid a hand on Chloe's shoulder, smiling slightly.

Despite their differences, Marinette could see how much this bothered Chloe and Sabrina. She wasn't heartless, after all. Even after everything that had happened, she couldn't let Chloe and Sabrina become victim to the homophobia running rampant in their own families. She'd never do anything to jeopardize Chloe or Sabrina's safety, no matter what the circumstances.

Chloe pushed her away, despite the layer of mist in her eyes, gleaming with gratitude.

And just like that, Marinette had unknowingly set into motion a chain of events that would lead to Chloe standing in the doorway of her parents bakery in tears.

After their run in with Marinette, the two decided to move their make out spot to something much more subtle and private - the janitor's closet. Marinette could hardly believe how cliche their new choice in hiding spot was, but couldn't talk the couple out of it either.

Nearly a week after the initial incident, all hell broke loose. Another akuma was attacking the school, and just after the attack, reporters flooded the hallway where it had been purified. Unfortunately, that happened to be the same hallway that the janitor's closet was located. Chloe and Sabrina, who apparently hadn't heard the attack through the thick doors, walked out while fixing their hair and makeup, causing all the reporters to turn to them.

Marinette - or rather Ladybug, in the moment - looked between the reporters and the couple, watching each and every one of the media representatives' face light up with realization. And, as the press does, they pounced on the new, juicy story.

"Hey, guys, maybe we should leave them alone," Ladybug tried to persuade, looking to Chat for any kind of support, but instead finding a dumbfounded look of disbelief painted across his face. She elbowed him lightly, drawing his attention from the frontline frenzy in front of them.

"Uh, yeah, um, don't you have any more questions for us?" Chat asked. None of the reporters paid any attention to the superhero team. They focused instead on what they knew would be a bigger story - 'Mayor's Daughter Secretly a Lesbian'.

Despite the hero's attempts, the press refused to look away from the couple, and eventually, they had to flee before their miraculous' forced them to transform.

After the media blow-up, things only got worse. First, it was the news stories. They were everywhere. The tabloids were the worst, depicting their scandal as if it was the mayor's daughter spitting in the face of God.

Then, it was the mayor's response. As much as Marinette hoped Chloe was only exaggerating when she said her dad wouldn't react well, that wasn't the case. He told the press he could never condone this kind of behavior, going as far as to kick his own daughter out of his house in the form of a press conference.

And then there Chloe was. Standing in the entrance of Marinette's parents' bakery, tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

 ** _Hi everyone! New account, same old dork (my old acct is ectophandom, go check it out?)_**

 ** _this story is honestly all over the place, so bare with me, BUT I have written over half of it. I'll post chapters as I finish editing them, which means probably 1-2 times a week._**

 ** _I'll probably post chapter 1 later this week, so stay tuned!_**

 ** _~ash_**


	2. Chapter 1

Marinette's parents were good people. They'd always been welcoming to anyone, no matter who they were. So, naturally, when they saw Chloe, who had just been kicked out of her own home, they jumped at the opportunity to help her.

Immediately, the two temporarily closed the bakery, grabbing the single suitcase Chloe had managed to snag from her home and bringing it up to Marinette's room. They declared without hesitation that she would be staying with Marinette, sleeping on her couch until they figured out a more concrete plan.

Marinette plopped down on her bed, and Chloe took a seat at her desk. Marinette's parents went on to wrap a blanket around Chloe's shoulders and let her know that everything was going to be ok.

When they left the two teenage girls alone to go open the bakery back up, an awkward silence stood between them. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Chloe spoke up.

"I...I know you probably didn't mean it like this, but you told me I could come to you if I needed to..." she trailed off, her eyes falling to the floor, then back up to meet Marinette's gaze.

"It's ok," Marinette said before the blonde could finish. "You don't have to apologize."

Chloe sneered through her thick tears. "Apologize? Who ever said I was going to do that?!"

"I just assumed-"

"Well don't." Once again, the silence returned. "I only came here because Sabrina's place is too small to take another person. Don't think this makes us friends or anything."

Marinette looked at the blonde in front of her. Despite her cold, harsh words, it was obvious that she was hurting.

In response, Marinette simply nodded, getting up from her spot on her bed and walking towards her bedroom door. "I'm going for a jog. Make yourself at home, ok?"

And just like that, Marinette left Chloe to herself, hoping that the space would help her calm down a bit. She managed to slip out without her parents noticing, saving herself from having to lie about her whereabouts. By the time she was transformed and at the place her and Chat met for patrols, Ladybug was late.

"My lady, what took you so long?" Chat asked, his black tail whipping behind him slightly with the breeze. His eyes partially reflected the golden rays of the sunset, yet still retained their emerald green hue.

"A surprise visit from a...friend?" It was more of a question than a response.

"Well, I'm sure it was im-purr-tant to be late for patrol," Chat grinned at his own pun.

"Haha," Ladybug mocked. "Anything new pop up?"

"Nope, not unless you count the mayor's daughter being a lesbian new."

"You've heard?"

"I was there, my lady. Remember?"

Ladybug had to catch herself before she could say anything too revealing. It took her a few moments to think of a response that wouldn't give away anything about her identity.

"I guess...I just saw it somewhere else and forgot..."

"Pretty spectacular thing to forget, huh?" Chat took a few steps forward, smirking at her.

"I guess," she sighed. "Kitty, I've just got a lot on my mind."

"Oh no! Anything I can help with?" his genuine concern was somewhat familiar to Ladybug, though she couldn't quite figure out how.

"I'm fine. It's just something in my civilian life I have to deal with."

"Well, whatever it is, I know you can figure it out," he slinked just a few get closer until the duo's noses were almost touching. "Whether you're wearing that mask or not, you're pretty incredible."

"Pft. Ok kitty, whatever you say," she joked. "Are you ready for patrol?"

"Always am."

"Good." And just like that, Ladybug used her yo-yo to catapult herself from building to building, instinctively taking her half of the city.

The fresh city air combing through her hair was exhilarating. Slowly, the tension released from her shoulders, leaving her much more relaxed than at the beginning of patrol. By the time she'd completed her half of the city, Chat was already back at their meeting place.

"All good?" she asked.

Chat smirked at her, twirling his baton before sliding it back into the pocket on his suit. "Yep!" he popped the 'p'.

"Ok. I've got to go, Kitty. I've got...something to deal with," Ladybug sighed, turning on her heal and getting ready to leap into the air again.

"Wait!" Chats voice stopped her before she could leave. Slowly, she turned on her heal, looking over her shoulder to look at Chat. "If there's anything you need to talk about...you know I'm here, right?"

There was that dopey smile. One of his ears curled over slightly, and his tail rested slightly between his legs. Turning the corner of her lips upward and sighing, Ladybug nodded before turning back to the rest of Paris and taking off into the night sky.

Just as quickly as her problems disappeared, they began to weigh down on her shoulders once again. And just like that, Marinette was right back where she started; walking in the doors of her parents' bakery to go deal with a girl who hated her.

The next week was excruciatingly slow. Ladybug patrolled every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday with Chat and returned home to her house guest, who refused to talk to her except to ask for food or another blanket. Most of the time, she laid in the corner of the couch in Marinette's room, crying and sleeping. Whenever she wasn't doing that, however, she was at school, now sitting in the back row with Sabrina, or eating with Marinette and her parents.

Eventually, Marinette started to feel bad. She couldn't imagine what Chloe must have been feeling. So, when she saw her curled up on the couch again, Marinette knew she had to do something.

"You know, you can invite her over," the raven haired teen nearly whispered it, instantly catching Chloe's attention.

"What?"

"Sabrina. You can invite her over. I'm sure it'll be ok with my parents. All you have to do is ask."

Chloe looked at Marinette with red, puffy eyes, blinking twice before she finally opened her mouth to respond. "O- ok. I will. Thank you."

Marinette nodded, smiling slightly to herself. "You're welcome, Chloe."

Of course, when Marinette's parents found out Sabrina would be coming over, they threw themselves into lesbian culture. So naturally, when they stumbled upon the "dental dam", they bought an entire case of them.

"They bought what?" Chloe asked once Marinette finally gathered the courage to let her know.

"Dental dams? I think it's for same sex...uh, sex? But, like, for girls," Marinette smiled awkwardly, watching Chloe's face turn a bright shade of red.

"What the fuck?! Do they think I'm gonna have sex with her?"

"Have you before?"

Chloe shut her mouth, glaring at Marinette through fluttering lashes. "Why do they even care?"

"Because," Marinette took a step forward, placing her arm on Chloe's shoulder, "they care about you. They want to make sure you're safe."

For the first time since Chloe started staying in her room, Marinette saw her begin to relax. She let the raven haired girl's hand remain on her shoulder for just a moment before turning around and picking up her phone.

"Sabrina's gonna be here at five. You've got that study group. It's on Tuesdays and Thursdays, right?" Chloe asked, a bit of excitement showing in her eyes.

"Yep," Marinette popped the 'p', silently cursing herself for letting that stupid habit rub off on her, no thanks to Chat.

"So, it'll just be the two of us..." Chloe smiled, looking down at her phone before looking back up to Marinette. "You're parents don't care what we do up here?"

"No, they're cool with pretty much whatever. Just don't get pregnant, which I guess you can't, so they're fine," Marinette smiled, taking a step closer to Chloe before finally deciding to envelope her in a hug. Initially, she felt Chloe tense, but slowly she relaxed, hugging her back.

"Why are you being so nice to me? I've only ever been a bitch to you," Chloe sniffled, pushing her face into Marinette's left pigtail.

"You don't have to be a bitch, you know. And I don't have to treat you the way you treated me. It's called being nice," Marinette explained.

The two broke apart upon hearing Marinette's bedroom door open, her parents appearing in the entry way with a brown cardboard box.

"Chloe, could we talk to you for a second?" her mom asked.

"We bought you something," her dad smiled, taking a step into the room.

"That's my cue to leave," Marinette squeezed Chloe's arm, watching her hesitantly eye the box that was most likely filled with dental dams.

Upon returning from patrolling with Chat, Marinette found Chloe and Sabrina cuddled up together on her couch, Sabrina's arms wrapping around her girlfriend protectively.

Trying her best to be quiet, she set down her bag, letting Tiki out and giving her a few cookies from downstairs.

The next few nights usually went like that - Marinette finding some excuse to leave before five, whether it was her "study group" or hanging out with Alya, and coming home to find Chloe and Sabrina snuggled tightly against one another.

Slowly, Sabrina joined the Dupain-Cheng family dynamic, joining the family for both dinner and breakfast.

One day at school, Alya and Marinette were eating lunch with Nino and Adrian (which had become more and more common since her best friend and Nino had started dating), when Chloe and Sabrina walked over to their hang out spot, hand in hand.

"Hey guys!" Sabrina waved tentatively. "Could we, maybe, eat with you?"

"We just don't have anywhere else to go, and I mean you don't have to-" Chloe began to ramble.

"Of course!" Marinette said, smiling and scooting over a bit to make room for the couple. Unsurely, they settled down on the grass beside the rest of the teens, taking out the homemade lunches Marinette's dad had packed.

Alya, who still wasn't sure how to feel about Chloe staying with Marinette, eyed the pair.

"Are you sure?" she leaned over and whispered to Marinette.

"Oh, cmon Alya!" she responded, elbowing her best friend jokingly in the side.

The conversation started awkwardly, Chloe and Sabrina mostly keeping to themselves, but by the end of lunch, everyone was laughing at some cheesy joke Nino had made.

"What? I found it on the internet, ok?" he defended, leaning into his girlfriend's arm.

"Babe, you're such a dork," Alya kissed his forehead.

"Awe!" Sabrina said, wrapping her arms around Chloe and leaning against her side. "You guys are cute."

"Us? Look at you two? Adorable. Just, cute," Nino smiled, watching while Sabrina cuddled into Chloe's side. The blonde pulled her girlfriend closer to her, resting her head on her shoulder.

"We know," Chloe winked, and everyone - even Alya, much to Marinette's surprise - laughed.

Despite everything that had previously transpired between the group of friends, it felt like things were repairable. The tension wasn't quite so thick, replaced instead by a slight sense of community.

* * *

 ** _Hey! Ash here! Just a heads up, I'm also gonna be posting this on ao3 (the updates will be at the same time!) under the same name, so just a heads up if you like that format better or smthn!_**

 ** _i hope you guys like he first chapter (it was originally gonna be 2 chapters before I realized how short they were and combined them)_**

 ** _please review! I read all of them and it honestly makes me day :)_**

 ** _~ash_**


	3. Chapter 2

"Chloe! I'm back!" Marinette yelled, walking up the stairs.

"Don't come in yet!" Sabrina called back, and the sound of the couple scrambling made Marinette chuckle slightly.

It'd been two weeks since Sabrina had started coming over regularly, and things were finally starting to settle into a sense of normalcy. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, Marinette would leave around 4:30, and she wouldn't get back until 10 or later, depending on what the patrol that night entailed. The rest of the days, however, were split between helping her parents with the bakery and hanging out with Alya.

That specific day, Alya had cancelled their hang out session. She and Nino were going last minute shopping for a reporting gala event Alya had been invited to in order to represent the Ladyblog.

"Are you decent yet?" Marinette asked.

"Um..." the sound of a zipper made Marinette chortle, "yeah! Now we are!" Chloe said, swinging the door open.

The redhead and the blonde stood there, chests heaving and hair ruffled. They smiled, Chloe kissing Sabrina on the cheek and winking at her.

"Dorks," Marinette sighed under her breath, stepping inside the room and setting down her stuff.

"What're you doing home so early?" Sabrina asked, putting on her glasses and straightening them on her face.

"Alya cancelled, something about a reporting gala tomorrow and needing to buy outfits for her and Nino."

"Oh, I know that gala. My dad and I-" Chloe started before suddenly stopping, her eyes falling to the ground.

"Hey, sweetie, it's ok," Sabrina wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

"Sabrina's right, screw that asshole," Marinette sat down on her bed, taking off her purse and setting it down on her pillow.

"Mari!" Chloe looked up at her with big blue eyes. "I thought you didn't swear!"

"I don't swear unless it's justified, and with your dad? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it is."

Chloe sighed, sitting down on the bed, Sabrina following shortly after.

Suddenly, the entire building shook, the three girls falling on top of one another.

"That's probably an akuma attack," Chloe managed to pull herself from between Marinette and Sabrina. "Should we hide or something? This hasn't happened since I moved in with you, Mari, what do you usually do?" Chloe began to panic.

"Hey, calm down," Marinette reassured her, squirming her way out from under Sabrina. "I'll go get my parents, you two stay here."

Marinette ran out of the room with no intention of getting her parents. Instead, she ran just into the hallway, using the brief time alone as an opportunity to transform into Ladybug.

Naturally, once she and Chat found the akuma, they discovered it was after the mayor - Chloe's father.

"Of course it's him!" Ladybug yelled to Chat, the both of them leaping from building to building. "That prick! I'd want to beat him up too, and I'm not even an akuma!"

"Wow, my lady, you really don't like him," Chat used his baton to leap a large gap while Ladybug used her yo-yo.

"He kicked his own daughter out of her house, of course I don't like him."

"I thought you didn't even like Chloe."

"Well, people change. And even if I still didn't like her, that doesn't excuse his shitty behavior."

Finally, the pair reached a building a few blocks from the mayor's mansion. A pillar of smoke rose from the courtyard, signaling where the akuma most likely was.

"I am the Presser!" the akuma's shout echoed throughout the entire town, and Ladybug fought the urge to wince at the terribly cheesy name.

"The Presser, huh?" Chat asked, spinning his baton absentmindedly.

Ladybug smirked at her partner. "Ready, kitty?"

With a nod, the blonde haired hero leapt into action, the raven haired teen trailing just behind. Before they could get anywhere, a civilian ran up to them, his eyes glowing slightly purple.

"A year ago, I hit my son! I didn't mean to, I was just drunk!" the man yelled, tears running down his face. "I hate myself, I relive it every day."

Ladybug looked at the man in disbelief, fighting the urge to hit him after fully grasping what he'd said. She turned to Chat, the gears in her head beginning to turn while she tried to figure out what was going on.

"The akuma!" Ladybug gasped, looking at Chat. "He forces people to tell their deepest, darkest secrets!"

"So...what you're saying is we shouldn't get blasted by those purple lights?" Chat pointed over Ladybug's shoulder. Hesitantly, she turned on her heels, watching an array of dark purple light fly up into the sky.

Gulping, she turned back to her partner. "Not unless you want everyone to know who we really are."

The two locked eyes, a silent agreement settling between them. With a swift jump, Chat was off, leaping from building to building. Ladybug followed not far behind, swinging through the streets with her yo-yo.

Upon arriving in the courtyard, the Presser immediately turned to look at the teens, his sickening smile widening.

He was a little bigger than the average person, his snow white skin contrasting the black outlines around his mouth and eyes. While he turned back to the duo, his arms were spread on either side of his enlarged body, a ball of purple energy glowing in each hand. In the midst of it all, his black top hat seemed to radiate the most power, a dim purple light throbbing like the beat of a heart through it's surface.

After looking for a few more moments, rage began to bubble in Ladybug's stomach. The akuma wasn't looking for the mayor, the akuma was the mayor.

"Welcome, Ladybug and Chat Noir! What do you two have to say?" the Presser pointed his finger at the pair who instinctively dodged the energy.

"I cheated on my husband!" one woman screamed, obviously having been hit by the deflected shot.

"Distract him," Ladybug told Chat, who nodded and flung himself towards the akuma, keeping him busy while Ladybug grabbed the civilians, lifting them into the air with her and setting them down outside of the courtyard in an attempt to respect their privacy.

When she came back to the courtyard, she was met with an image of Chat dodging a seemingly endless array of attacks.

"Come on, Chat Noir, I know you're just a civilian under that mask. Why don't you let us all know who you really are?" the Presser continued to shoot at Chat, who narrowly avoided each attack.

Once she double checked that there were no other civilians around, Ladybug summoned her lucky charm, a large mirror falling into her arms. Quickly, Marinette watched the beams of energy, watching them bounce off of the reflective surfaces they were hitting. Gasping, she realized the obvious course of action, leaping behind one of the buildings where Chat had taken refuge.

"Chat, I've got a plan," she whispered as soon as she landed next to him.

"What do you need me to do, my lady?"

"I'm gonna distract him and keep him facing this way. I need you to sneak around some of the buildings and get behind him. Stay a ways back, but on my signal, I need you to grab his hat," Ladybug explained.

"Got it."

And just like that, he was off, running behind the nearby buildings in order to stay hidden.

"Ladybug! Chat Noir! Come out come out wherever you are!" the Presser taunted, his cackling laugh building a bubbling pit of rage in her stomach.

"Here!" Ladybug exclaimed, jumping out of her hiding spot with the mirror held firmly in one hand. The Presser shot at her, and she quickly dove out of the way, hardly dodging the attack.

"Hand over your miraculous, or the entire world will know your secret!" he yelled again, firing a few more rounds of energy at Ladybug. She nimbly dodged each attack, managing to keep him looking in a single direction.

His attacks continued for a few more moments until Ladybug finally saw Chat pop up behind the Presser. Smiling, Ladybug waited until the akuma readied his aim, quickly bringing the mirror in front of her body just in time for the beam to hit it, reflecting it back to him.

With a scream, he flew slightly back, his lips trembling to try to stay closed. Ladybug locked eyes with Chat, nodding at him as a signal for him to grab the hat. Using his staff to launch himself above the akuma, Chat grabbed the top hat just before the Presser's mouth was forced open by the truth.

"My wife left me for another woman! That's why I kicked my daughter out, to teach her a lesson!" the man yelled, falling to the ground, his entire body shaking.

Chat handed Ladybug the hat, which she promptly ripped in half, releasing a dark winged butterfly. Trying to contain the rage bubbling inside her, she purified he butterfly, letting it fly off into the distance. The settings sun's rays got caught in the glittering white butterfly's wings, lifting a weight off of the teen hero's chest. She threw her lucky charm into the air, watching the ladybugs fly into the air, fixing all of their mistakes.

Chat stood next to her, putting out his fist in anticipation for their ceremonial fist bump, but Ladybug hardly even saw him, instead storming over to the previously akumatized mayor.

"Ladybug, thank you so mu-" before the mayor could even finish his sentence, Ladybug lifted him to his feet, pulling his collar towards her face so that he'd have to look down at her.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" she could feel the rage taking over her words. "You really kicked your own daughter out because you've been hurt by another lesbian in the past? Really?"

The mayor looked at her with wide eyes before pulling himself from the hero's grasp and straightening up. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. You're just a kid. And frankly, Ladybug, I don't think it's any of your business."

Ladybug began to shake, opening her mouth to speak when Chat laid a leather clad hand in her shoulder. She turned back to him, looking into his big green eyes and feeling her anger diminish with the comforting touch of her partner.

"It's ok, my lady," it was obvious he was trying to stay calm as well. He was mad, too. "He's not worth it."

With a shaky breath, she nodded, tossing one more sneer back at the mayor before using her yo-yo to launch herself into the sky.

* * *

 ** _hi everyone!_**

 ** _i wanna start off my letting the anon writer called 'terrible stuff' know that if they think my story is 'shit', they don't have to read it ^-^_**

 ** _second! It's been brought to my attention that France is actually pretty accepting of the lgbtq+ community (a fact my egocentric ass forgot I guess) but for the purpose of this story, let's pretend people are still close-minded there (I'm so sorry to anyone from Western Europe . )_**

 ** _finally, thank you guys for the favorites, follows, and good reviews. It means so so much to me! I'll update next week (probably Monday or Tuesday when I don't work)_**

 ** _until then,_**

 ** _~ash_**


	4. Chapter 3

The days following the mayor's akumatization were hectic, to say the least. The press had caught the entirety of the exchange on camera, exposing both the mayor's reason for kicking his daughter out of his house, as well Ladybug and Chat Noir's anger regarding that fact. By the time Marinette made her way back to the bakery, Chloe had already found out why her mother had left - a detail her father had kept from her for years.

"I thought it was because of me!" she sobbed into Sabrina's shoulder. "I thought she didn't love me! I thought- I thought she hated having a kid. I was only six, and I thought my mother hated me."

"Shh, babe I promise it'll be ok, alright?" Sabrina ran her fingers through her girlfriend's long blonde hair, holding her head to her shoulder.

Meanwhile, Marinette paced her room; furious. Her parents tried to calm her down, but she could hardly think of anything but the repulsive homophobia her mayor had just publicly displayed. Of course, as soon as she finally calmed down, she went on her phone, and the rage began bubbling inside her once again. In order, she saw the following headlines:

'Mayor of Paris Justifies Blatant Homophobia'

'Paris' Heroes Defend Un-Christian Ideology'

'Mayor Bourgeois Stands Up for Family Values'

'Ladybug Defends LGBT+ Rights in Heroic Display'

'Ladybug and Chat Noir Normalize Gay Rights in Horrific Manner'

'Heroes of Paris - True Heroes or Anti-Christian Advocates?'

'Ladybug's Secret Political Agenda: REVEALED!'

Later that day, Alya came over to both comfort Chloe, who she had become pretty close with since she'd started eating lunch with with their group, as well as vent about the recent events.

"Have you seen these news sites?!" Alya threw her hands in the air. "Is being a decent person considered a political statement now? And how does being an awful father make someone some kind of family fucking rights advocate!"

"Alya, I know," Marinette tried to calm her fuming friend down.

"These assholes. They think they can put words in everyone's mouths. They just assume everything is political. As if basic human decency is political! Hell no! What's next, curing cancer and bringing someone back to life? Do you know how messed up that is?"

"Yes, I-"

"And the nerve, the nerve! Some of those news stations think Ladybug and Chat Noir are promoting anti-Christian beliefs? Really?! First of all, who the hell cares what religion they practice. They're heroes! Second of all, how is supporting someone who's kicked out of their own home anti-Christian?!"

"Alya, I don't-"

"What, Marinette? You don't what? What could you say to make it ok?" Alya looked at Marinette with big, angry eyes.

Most people would be terrified. Alya was a powerful woman, and a force to be reckoned with. At her angriest, she could scare people double the size of Marinette's father. But, having seen her like this before, she knew how to deal with this. Pulling Alya into a tight hug, she felt Alya begin to relax slightly.

"I don't know," she whispered to her.

The next day at school, the entire classroom was buzzing about the incident, but the second Marinette and Chloe walked into the room, their classmates fell silent. Chloe, with her head down, took her new spot in the back of the classroom. Marinette took a seat next to Alya, who followed suit and kept quiet like the rest.

And then, Marinette's eyes fell on the blonde haired boy sitting in front of her. With everything going on with Chloe and the mayor, her crush had fallen to the back of her mind. Sure, she'd begun eating lunch with him more and was still nervous as ever around him, but he consumed less and less of her thoughts than in the past. And somehow in that moment, looking at his golden locks, she felt guilty.

There was no reason to be guilty. It wasn't like they were committed to one another or anything. He probably didn't even care how much she thought about him. But that didn't ease the nagging feeling.

Class came and went rather uneventfully. When lunch finally rolled around, the group was a bit awkward about the entire thing, Chloe sitting with her entire left side touching Sabrina.

"Hey, I've got a new joke," Nino said after s few extremely awkward exchanges. "Why was the baby strawberry crying?"

Adrien chuckled slightly, as if he already knew the ending. "What?" he asked.

"Because his parents are in a JAM!" Nino exclaimed, earning a few groans and a few chuckles. After that, things felt relatively normal, he group continuing to eat lunch on the grassy hill.

But just because their little group returned to normalcy quickly doesn't mean the rest of their class would catch on. The rest of Marinette's day at school was spent trying to ignore the eyes on her and the muttering students around her. She felt so exposed. Everyone knew that Chloe was staying with her, and a silent air of curiosity enveloped each classmate she was sat near. She couldn't even begin to imagine what Chloe and Sabrina felt like.

That night, Marinette excused herself for her "study group", meeting Chat in their normal spot, an air of melancholy suspended between them.

"So," Chat said solemnly, his usual joking mannerisms gone, "what do we do?"

Ladybug looked out over the city, letting an exhausted breath out. "What can we do? What's done is done."

Chat gasped, looking over at her and touching a single leather-clad finger to her face. "My lady, you're crying."

Ladybug sniffled, touching a hand to her face and pulling it from her face. With a start, she realized that she was, in fact, crying. Biting her shaking lip, she looked out over the city again.

"It's so hard, kitty. These are real people we're talking about. They have lives that are directly effected by what we do. I always knew that, but I guess in the back of my head I didn't really believe it. I hate it. I hate that I'm this important to so many people, and Chat, I can't even talk to my best friend about it."

Chat pulled her into a warm hug, letting her sob into his shoulder. "My lady, you can talk to me - always. You're one one of my best friends."

"Oh, kitty," Ladybug buried her face into his shoulder, sinking into the warm, gently embrace.

She knew on some level that Chat had real, raw emotions for her, but in that moment, all she could think about was their friendship - their partnership. They'd been working together for nearly a year, and had become very close. Ladybug knew that he saw their relationship differently than she saw it. He thought they could be lovers. She refused to entertain the idea. If anything happened between them and didn't work out...

Ladybug couldn't bear the thought. Chat was one of the people in her life she couldn't risk losing. Period.

"I feel like I did something wrong," Ladybug wiped her eyes, pulling away from Chat and looking at his big green eyes.

"You did nothing wrong. Our asshole of a mayor is the person who did something wrong," Chat closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "If I had my way, I would've beaten him up right there and then. My lady, not only did he kick his daughter out of his own home, but he made you cry. That's unforgivable."

His raw anger took Ladybug by surprise. She laid a hand on her shoulder, causing him to open his eyes again.

"Don't think about that. I'm a big girl, Chat. I can take care of myself. And it's not our job to beat up close-minded civilians. It's our job to save them."

Chat nodded, standing up and holding out a hand for Ladybug to take.

"Are you ready, my lady? We do have a purr-trol to do," he smirked at his own pun, despite the dampening mood still hanging in the air.

"Ready as I'll ever be," Ladybug took his hand, pulling herself up and readying her yo-yo.

Later that night, Marinette came home to Sabrina and Chloe cuddled together on her couch, used tissues scattered on the ground around them. They both wheezed lightly in their sleep, Chloe's eyes still red and puffy. And it broke Marinette's heart.

The next morning, the press were stood outside Marinette's house, refusing to let anyone leave. The three girls managed to sneak out through the back door unnoticed, running to the school before the reporters had the chance to catch up.

"I can't believe they were waiting outside your house, Mari!" Sabrina gasped, jogging to keep up with the other two girls while they ran.

"I'm pissed," Chloe growled, trying desperately to apply liquid foundation while she ran. "Who the hell do they think they are? I'm just glad Alya isn't that kind of reporter, or else we couldn't be friends."

"Agreed," Marinette breathed, trying not to show the other girls how easy the jog was. Since training as Ladybug, she'd built up an endurance that wasn't normal for a teenage girl to have.

By the time they reached the school, they were late thanks to having to take a different route to avoid the press.

"Hello ladies, thanks for joining us," the teacher said sarcastically, tapping her foot on the floor in front of her. All of their classmate's eyes were on them while they panted in the doorway.

"We were... there were..." Sabrina wheezed, her hands on her knees.

"The press showed up at my house," Marinette pretended to be winded from the run. "We had to... we had to take the back way to get here without... without running into them."

The teacher narrowed her eyes, looking at Chloe and Sabrina, who were standing close to one another and holding hands. She cleared her throat, causing the couple to look up at her.

"If you didn't want the press on your tails, I'd try not flaunting your... partnership," she sneered the final word, her face scrunching up.

"Ms. Bustier-" Chloe tried to explain.

"That's enough, Chloe. It's obvious to see your disregard for the religious beliefs of your fellow classmates. Now please, take a seat before I'm forced to call your parents," the older woman crossed her arms, her eyebrows furrowing.

"With all due respect, Ms. Bustier, I don't think this is any of your business," Marinette stood up a bit straighter, her Ladybug side coming out slightly.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you're a good student, but we both know that you're late on a regular basis."

"Ma'am, I don't understand what that has to do with this situation," the raven haired teen countered, taking a small step forward.

"My point is, Marinette, that these two could be a bad influence. Sure, you're not the most punctual, but you're not like them."

"Not like them? Do you mean that I'm not s lesbian? Or bisexual? Or pansexual or whatever they identify as?" Marinette's question was met with gasps from many of her classmates.

Ms. Bustier's face turned tomato red. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng! You know that's not what I was getting at!"

"And what were you getting at, then?"

The teacher appeared to be at a loss of words, her mouth opening and closing while she tried to find words to say.

Suddenly, Juleka stood from her seat, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "Ms. Bustier, I am a practicing catholic Christian who goes to church every Wednesday and Sunday, and I'm not offended at all by Chloe and Sabrina's relationship. I actually think it's really cute," the teen smirked, continuing to stand, looking the older woman in the eyes.

From the front row, Adrien joined his classmate, standing and crossing his arms. "I agree. I think they're the cutest. I've dubbed them Chlobrina, and I don't think there's anything anti-Christian about their relationship."

One by one, the rest of the class stood, crossing their arms and looking down at Ms. Bustier. Mumbles talking about Christianity and 'Chlobrina' circulated through the classroom.

"Quiet!" the teacher yelled, sufficiently silencing everyone in the classroom. She turned to Marinette, who wore a smug smirk on her lips. "Ms. Dupain-Cheng, you're coming with me to the principle office. Everyone else," she turned back to the class, "we will talk about this behavior when I get back."

Storming out of the room, Ms. Bustier signaled for Marinette to follow her.

* * *

 ** _Hey! I hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long ^-^ I've been busy registering for classes and working..._**

 ** _anyways! Thank you to everyone who is favoriting, following, and reviewing! I especially love the reviews!_**

 ** _ill try to update later this week, but I can't make any promises. I'll update on Sunday at the latest!_**

 ** _until next time,_**

 ** _~ash_**


	5. Chapter 4

"Suspended?!" Marinette's mom looked between Ms. Bustier and her daughter.

"Now, calm down Mrs. Cheng. That's simply one of the options," Mr. Damocles, the principal, looked scoldingly towards the teacher. "But Ms. Bustier is very upset about your daughter's behavior. She's sent the entire class into a frenzy."

Marinette's parents looked at one another before looking at their daughter, who was seated to their left. "What exactly did she do?" Tom asked.

"She came in late, disturbing my class. Shortly after, she began to talk about some very offensive subject matter, which riled up my class. Now, they have lost any respect they had for me," Ms. Bustier's tone got angrier the more she spoke. Meanwhile, Marinette sat with her arms crossed, the anger on her face evident.

"Ms. Dupain-Cheng, would you care to explain your side of the story?" the principal asked.

Marinette explained their reason for being late while the principal looked at her intently. "When we walked into class late, I was ready to take my seat and start learning, but Ms. Bustier started insulting my friends. She was judgmental and provocative, putting words in the class' mouth. She not only offended me and my friends, but the entire class. Finally, they decided to correct her," Marinette explained.

The principal looked at all four of the people in his office with questioning eyes. Finally, he sighed, looking at Marinette's parents.

"Mr. Dupain, Mrs. Cheng, it appears to me that there are problems in this school on a level higher than the students - one which I must correct. We could launch into an investigation, but I think I can see exactly what has happened," he eyed Ms. Bustier skeptically.

"What are you saying?" Sabine asked, her eyes lighting up.

"I'm saying that the only thing Marinette, as well as Sabrina and Chloe, have done wrong is being late to class, which can be easily addressed with verbal confirmation from a parent or guardian that their tardiness is excused."

"Yes, of course, she's excused!" Tom beamed, looking at his wife happily. "Chloe, too! Her dad's disowned her, so we've been watching after her for the last few weeks."

The principal nodded, smirking slightly at the parents before looking back to Marinette. "Now, Ms. Dupain-Cheng, I would urge you to be a bit more tactful with your opinions. However, you are not in the wrong in this situation."

Ms. Bustier jumped from her seat, looking at Mr. Damocles with a sneer. "Sir, with all due respect, this is not right! This girl has disrupted my class, which I have lost all control of!"

"With all due respect, Caline, your loss of respect from your class is not something to be waving around. It's your responsibility to look after these students, not Marinette's."

The teacher's face went completely red while she sat back down in her chair.

"Am I free to go back to class?" Marinette asked nervously, looking at her principal with thankful eyes.

"Of course, but first I would like to have a word with you alone."

The parents both looked at their daughter, Tom squeezing her arm and smiling down at her before leaving the room. Just before Ms. Bustier walked out, Mr. Damocles cleared his throat, causing her to turn back.

"Caline, please stay out in the hallway, I would like to have a word with you in private after Ms. Dupain-Cheng."

She gulped, nodding solemnly and closing the door behind her.

"Marinette, I'm very sorry you had to deal with that. Ms. Bustier can be a good person, but she is also rather opinionated," the principal smiled, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

"Is she going to be fired?" Marinette asked in a voice just louder than a whisper.

"Oh, heavens no!" Mr. Damocles laughed heartily, shaking his head. "She's an amazing teacher. Nationally ranked, actually. Besides, she has tenure. She's untouchable! We'll just have to send her off to a diversity training we offer in southern France, then probably transfer her to a different class."

"Oh," Marinette looked down at her lap, her mind still swimming from everything that had happened. "Why did you want to speak with me?"

"I wanted to thank you, Marinette," the older man smiled brightly. Marinette looked up at him, her curious eyes asking a silent question. "My wife and I have watched everything unfold with the mayor these last few weeks in disgust. Our son is transgender, and has recently told us that he is engaged to another boy. It means the world to all of us that there are people like you out there. Thank you, Marinette," Mr. Damocles explained, smiling at the raven haired teen.

Marinette felt a blush creep onto her face while she smiled awkwardly at the older man. "Of course, sir. It's just the right thing to do. Sabrina and Chloe are my friends. And even if they weren't, nobody deserves to be treated that way."

The principal smiled again, escorting her out of her office. Ms. Bustier scowled at her while she passed on her way to the classroom.

The moment she walked in, the chatter of the students died instantly. Red-cheeked, Marinette made her way back to her seat, seeing that there still wasn't a replacement teacher yet. Just as she was about to climb the stairs to her seat in the second row, Marlene clapped once. Then twice. Then a third time. Slowly, each student clapped with her until the entire room was enveloped in applause. Marinette felt like she was ready to explode. As Ladybug, she could stand in front of a crowd proudly. It was never a problem because she was Ladybug, not Marinette. But as herself? She was beyond embarrassed. And yet, a small part of her was also grateful for her classmates' support. The blushing teen smiled slightly, starting to climb the stairs while the applause died down.

And then, Marinette reached her breaking point. Adrien, who was right next to her, put his arm around her shoulders. Adrien Agreste, the boy she'd been crushing on for so long, had his arm around her.

"Mari, that was amazing!" he blonde beamed, his emerald eyes looking right into her crystal blue ones.

"I, uh, yeah! Thank- th- th- thanks!" Marinette stuttered, smiling and trying her best to relax under his arm. Alya grabbed her hand, pulling her from Adrien's grasp. Marinette was both grateful for the breathing room, but also disappointed by the lack of warmth over her shoulder.

"Girl, that was awesome!" Alya hugged her friend. "What'd the principal say?"

"He said I was fine and that he's sending Ms. Bustier to a diversity training thing," Marinette beamed at her best friend while pulling away. Alya smiled down at her, looking back and forth between Marinette and Adrien. She winked at the raven haired teen, causing the deep red blush to grow more pronounced.

Marinette shook her head, looking over Alya's shoulder. Sitting in the back row, Chloe and Sabrina sat together. Chloe's eyes were glazed over slightly, and Sabrina was anxiously talking to her, her hands trying to turn her head towards her. Marinette squirmed her way or if her friend's grip, running up the stairs quickly.

"Chloe, what's the matter?" Marinette asked the blonde, who she could see was shaking slightly.

"She's really quiet and she won't move Mari," Sabrina breathed.

Marinette bent down, putting her ear next to Chloe's face so that she could hear her whispers.

"I can't feel my hands or my legs or my head. And my chest hurts and my lips and fingers are tingling. I can't...I can't feel anything, it's like my mind is numb," her mumbles blurred together slightly, but Marinette managed to decipher them.

"There's something wrong with her," Marinette said, looking at Sabrina who stared back wide eyed. "I'm thinking maybe a stroke, but there's no way to tell for sure." She turned to Alya, who had run up the stairs. "Alya, call an ambulance. Let them know it might be an emergency. She says she can't feel anything except for her chest, lips, and fingers."

"Got it," Alya pulled out her phone, running into the hallway to get some quiet to make the call.

Marinette turned quickly towards Sabrina. "Sabrina, go with her and make sure everything goes smoothly. You two need to wait for the ambulance when it arrives.

Sabrina nodded, wiping a tear from her face and following Alya out the door. Marinette turned around, suddenly faced with the entire class looking at her. It was different than before. This time, they were looking to her as a leader. A part of her wanted to hide in the corner and let someone else take care of the situation. But the other part - the Ladybug in her - knew that her classmates needed her.

"Rose," Marinette met her classmate's eyes, "go to the principal's office. He might still be talking with Ms. Bustier, but tell him it's an emergency."

Rose nodded her head, running for the door. The rest of her class looked at her expectantly.

"Everyone else, I need you all to be quiet. I don't know what's wrong with her, but whatever it is, she needs some space."

The students turned to one another, their eyes large and worried. Marinette took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and turning back to Chloe. She crouched down, sitting in front of the couple.

"How are you doing, Chloe?" Marinette asked the blonde, who hadn't moved at all.

"I'm scared," she breathed out, still continuing to shake. Marinette reached out to hold her hand, but she jumped away, her eyes snapping shut while her breathing quickened. "Don't touch me, only Sabrina gets to touch me."

"Ok, I'm sorry Chloe," Marinette whispered.

Suddenly, the window opened, causing the entire class to turn towards a certain leather clad hero. Chat Noir stepped off of the ledge of the window, immediately walking over to Chloe and Marinette.

"I heard there was an emergency," he looked st Chloe, his eyes wide with worry. "What happened?"

"We don't know," Marinette stood up, crossing her arms and looking at her partner. She had to mentally remind herself that she wasn't Ladybug in that moment, however.

"I can take her to a hospital," Chat started to swoop down, but Marinette placed an arm in front of him, causing him to look up at her.

"We've got an ambulance on the way, and she's not letting anyone touch her but her girlfriend," Marinette explained quickly.

"We don't know what's wrong with her, and she needs to go to the hospital," Chat insisted, pressing closer to the blonde. Looking between the two, Marinette sighed and finally stepped back, letting Chat scoop Chloe up in his arms. She began to writhe, but Chat managed to keep her in his arms.

And just like that, he was gone. Marinette turned back to the students, watching while Sabrina and Alya walked in the classroom once more.

"We don't need that ambulance anymore," Marinette sighed.

The two girls turned to one another, their scared faces pale. They turned back to Marinette, biting shaking lips.

"Um, yeah ok," Alya said shakily, taking a seat in the front of the classroom. Sabrina followed suit, and the two girls began to whisper to one another hesitantly.

Marinette hardly had time to worry about what was happening before Rose returned, Mr. Damocles hot on her trail.

"What's happened?" his eyes scanned the room. "Where's Chloe?"

Nobody spoke, all eyes traveling to Marinette. Sighing, she made her way down he stairs. "Chat Noir came in. He was probably listening to ambulance calls or...something," the teen sighed, looking up at the principal.

"What was wrong with her?" the older man asked, his brow furrowing in worry.

"I don't know. She said she couldn't feel anything, and that she was scared. She was having a hard time moving. It reminded me of a stroke maybe..." Marinette trailed off, biting her lip and looking at the ground.

The principal nodded, looking around and doing a quick head count. "We're missing two people. Chloe is one, but..."

"Oh! Uh, I think I saw Adrien go to the bathroom earlier!" Sabrina shot out of her seat.

"Um, yep! When we were calling the ambulance. He...wasn't feeling well I think," Alya stuttered, her voice shaking.

The principal nodded, looking at the girls for a brief moment before turning back to Marinette. "You've all had enough for today. We don't have a replacement teacher, and after everything that's happened, I'm sending you home," his eyes stayed on Marinette for a moment more before he turned to look at the rest of the class. "Everyone. I'll send an email out to your parents. Anyone who needs a ride can wait, but those who can walk home are free to go."

Despite the fact that everyone was getting out of class only about an hour after the day had begun, nobody looked happy about it. Juleka put her arm around Rose, who had started sobbing. Despite not being in any position of power, everyone was still facing Marinette, almost looking at her for direction. Even Mr. Damocles appeared to be studying the girl.

She let her shoulders relax slightly, sitting down on the stairs and letting the Ladybug side of her fade away. Suddenly, she was sobbing, the full effect of everything that had happened hitting her full force.

"Mari," Nino took a seat next to her, putting his arm around her shoulders in a protective, almost brotherly fashion. "Hey, it's ok, you did great."

Sabrina and Alya took a seat on her other side, Alya hugging Marinette's side and Sabrina reaching a hand out and laying it on her shoulder.

* * *

 ** _hi everyone! Things are gonna get pretty cliffy and dark from here on, so just a heads up! (I was told I should give people a warning before I drop anything too heavy, per my friend/proofreader)_**

 ** _so! To address some of the reviews I've been getting, I am an American. I'm so sorry that the homophobia is misplaced in France, I was somewhat basing it off of the Bible Belt in America. The homophobia aspect doesn't come up too much more throughout the story, so hopefully it'll be better (ish?)_**

 ** _but aside from that, thank you so so so much to everyone who reviews, favorites, and follows this story! It means so much! I'll try to update by Wednesday, so stay tuned for some overdramatic teens!_**

 ** _~ash_**


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